December 22, 2005 – Petro-Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), today announced $204,060 in scholarships awarded through the Petro-Canada Olympic Scholarship Fund (PCOSF) to 44 high-performance student-athletes and 24 coaches for the 2005-06 academic year.

“This grant from Petro-Canada really makes a difference in helping me continue my education while I pursue my athletic dreams at the Olympic Winter Games,” said figure skater Patrick Chan.

The PCOSF was launched in 1988 as a legacy of the highly successful Calgary Olympic Torch Relay. Since then over 2,000 scholarships have been awarded to high-performance athletes and coaches. The fund ranks among Canada’s largest private sources of post-secondary education funding and has helped such notable Olympians as Sylvie Fréchette (synchronized swimming, Laval, Que.), Mark Tewksbury (swimming, Calgary, Atla.) and Susan Auch (speed skating, Winnipeg, Man.) attain their educational and Olympic goals.

“For the past 17 years, the Petro-Canada Olympic Scholarship Fund has been instrumental in providing Canadian high-performance athletes and coaches with much needed financial support in order to pursue their athletic and educational goals,” said COC Chief Executive Officer Chris Rudge. “The Fund is a valuable high performance resource that is essential in helping Canada’s athletes and coaches achieve podium success at the Olympic Games.”

Recipients of the PCOSF were chosen by a special selection committee chaired by Olympian Diane Jones Konihowski (pentathlon, Saskatoon, Sask.). This year’s committee was comprised of fellow Olympians and coaches, as well as representatives from the COC and Petro-Canada.

“We are very proud of our legacy of grassroots support for Canadian athletes and coaches,” said Steven Keith, Director of Olympic Activation for Petro-Canada. “Programs like the Olympic Scholarship Fund are our way of giving back and helping young Canadians in our communities achieve their dreams.”

Through the PCOSF, each athlete and coach receives tuition funding of $1,500 and $4,000 respectively. Additional financial support is also available for athletes requesting assistance for development opportunities such as training camps and competitions, and coaches with special needs.

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada’s participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.


2005-06 Petro-Canada Olympic Scholarship Fund Recipients

Athletes
-Jeffery Adamson (Wrestling) University of Saskatchewan Grasswood, Sask.
-Kelsey Adrian (Basketball) Brookswood High School Langley, B.C.
-Audrey Attali (Biathlon) Collège Francois-Xavier Garneau Gatineau, Que.
-Marie-Pier Beaudet (Archery) CEGEP Louis-Lauzon Lévis, Que.
-Sean Betchtel (Triathlon) McMaster University Caledon Village, Ont.
-Alexandre Bilodeau (Freestyle Skiing) CEGEP Montmorency Rosemere, Que.
-Christine Bisson (Cross Country Skiing) Université Laval Charlesbourg, Que.
-Meghan Buisson (Inline Speed Skating) University of Saskatchewan Winnipeg, Man.
-Patrick Chan (Figure Skating) École Etienne Bruelé Toronto, Ont.
-Rachel Cossar (Rhythmic Gymnastics) GEGEP du Vieux Montréal Toronto, Ont.
-Ehsan Dibaji (Karate) Ryerson University Toronto, Ont.
-Miranda Dick (Wrestling) Simon Fraser University Coquitlam, B.C.
-Bradley Enns (Badminton) University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Man.
-Tyla Flexman (Field Hockey) University of British Columbia Vancouver, -B.C.
-Kate Forbes (Athletics) University of Lethbridge Lethbridge, Alta.
-Alex Genest (Athletics) Collège de Sherbrooke Lac-Aux-Sables, Que.
-Tanika Gibbons (Figure Skating) Rocky Mountain Sports School Surrey, -B.C.
-Martin Gilbert (Cycling) Université de Montreal Châteauguay, Que.
-Leif Gislason (Figure Skating) York University Winnipeg, Man.
-Elizabeth Gustafson (Shooting) University of Alberta Woking, Alta.
-Whitney Harris (Equestrian) University of Guelph Burlington, Ont.
-Denise Haynes (Racquetball) École Secondaire de Clare Saulnierville, N.S.
-Conner Higgins (Sailing/Yachting) Queen’s University Toronto, Ont.
-Megan Imrie (Biathlon) University of Calgary Falcon Lake, Man.
-Marissa Janssens (Water Polo) John Abbott College Beaconsfield, Que.
-Kevin Lacombe (Cycling) Université Laval Amos, Que.
-Amélie Lacoste (Figure Skating) Collège Charles-Le Moyne Delson, Que.
-Francois Leboeuf (Biathlon) University of Alberta Val-Bélair, Que.
-Alexandra Lee (Field Hockey) University of Victoria Victoria, B.C.
-Erin Maclean (Softball) Simon Fraser University Whitby, Ont.
-Kailah Macri (Artistic Roller Skating) All Saints Catholic Secondary -School Whitby, Ont.
-Kole Magnowski (Waterski) Simon Fraser University Russell, Man.
-Erin Mielzynski (Waterski) Bishop MacDonnel High School Caledon, Ont.
-Clayton Miller (Shooting) University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Sask.
-Carly Orava (Rhythmic Gymnastics) Earl Haig Secondary School Toronto, Ont.
-Mark Pearson (Field Hockey) University of British Columbia Delta, B.C.
-Andrea Peterson (Luge) National Sport School Calgary, Alta.
-Stefan Rath (Luge) National Sport School Calgary, Alta.
-Zach Redeker (Fencing) Bev Facey Community High School Sherwood Park, Alta.
-Kevin Reynolds (Figure Skating) Alternate Home Learning Program, Dist. 43 Coquitlam, B.C.
-Joshua Riker-Fox (Modern Pentathlon) University of Calgary Delacour, Alta.
-Erin Scherrer (Figure Skating) St. David’s Catholic Secondary School Waterloo, Ont.
-Kerry Spearing (Triathlon) University of Victoria Victoria, B.C.
-Ekaterina Zavialova (Snowboard) University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.
-Valentyna Zolotarova (Karate) University of British Columbia Vancouver, B.C.